Portable coin counter



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1961 INVENTOR.

650265 A. M STHOJ A TI'OE VE KS June 11, 1963 G. A. MESTHOS 3,093,148

PORTABLE COIN COUNTER Filed Feb. 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J Fig-5 321% s? VEN TOR.

65026-5 A- MESrA/OS A rraelv' Y5 United States Patent 3,093,148 PORTABLE COIN COUNTER George A. Mesthos, 1609 Mount Holly Road, Burlington, NJ. Filed Feb. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 91,399 4 Claims. (Cl. 133-8) This invention relates to a novel portable coin counter.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a more eflicient, more versatile, and more easily used device of the kind indicated, which accommodates coins of different diameters and thicknesses, such as pennies, dimes, nickels, and quarters, and which eliminates the necessity for undivided attention on the part of the user during coin counting, and which eliminates the need for recounting coins already present in the device, following an interruption in inserting coins into the device.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple, uncomplex, and inexpensive device of the character indicated above, which readily discloses the presence of any bent coins inserted therein, so as to eliminate the possibility of inaccurate counts due to bent coins.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above which facilitates easy and accurate filling of coin wrappers.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an extremely practical and time and work-saving device of the character indicated above, which is especially useful to persons engaged in the collection and segregation of large quantities of coins, such as persons who service juke boxes, vending machines, and the like.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the assembled device;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, showing the device adjusted for coming service;

FIGURE 4 is a view like FIGURE 3, showing the device adjusted for counting quarters;

FIGURE 5 is a view like FIGURE 3, showing the device adjusted for counting nickels; and,

FIGURE 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated device, generally designated 10, comprises a dual inner tubular cylinder 12, involving a pennyreceiving chamber 14 of a length to accommodate a stack of 50 pennies, and a smaller diameter chamber 16 to accommodate a stack of 50 dimes, the chambers being separated by a thick partition wall 18 having an axial air passage 20 extending therethrou-gh. The sidewalls of chambers 14 and 16 are formed with longitudinally spaced sight openings 22, accompanied by external graduation marks 24 and numerals 26, by means of which amounts of coins less than the full capacities of the chambers are readily ascertained. tFull stacks of coins are indicated by the end coin being flush with or slightly above the open ends 28 and 30* of the chambers 14 and 16, respectively. The same indications apply to the other chambers of the device.

The chamber 14 is surrounded, at its open end, by an external annular stop flange 32, for stop engagement by one end of an open-ended nickel accommodating cylinder 34, which slides on the cylinder 12. The single Patented June 11, 1963 chamber 36 of the cylinder 34 has an unmutilated end 38, and its other end 40 is formed with an external annular recess 42 which defines an external stop shoulder 44. The cylinder 34 is devoid of sight openings and has instead, a longitudinal slot 46 extending to the ends thereof which receives a radial pin 48 on the cylinder 12, which is located near to the open end of the device-receiving chamber 16. Numbered graduation marks 49 extend along the slot 46.

The device 10 further comprises a quarter-receiving cylinder 50 which has a chamber '52 having an unmutiltated end 54 and an end 56 which is formed with an internal recess 58 which opens to the end 56 and defines an annular stop shoulder 60. The depth of the recess 58 corresponds to the width and depth of the external recess 42 of the cylinder 34, so that, as shown in FIG- URE 4, when the quarter cylinder 50 is set up for counting 40 quarters, the recesses are interengaged, with the external stop shoulder 32 of the tube 12 defining the inner end of the quarter-receiving chamber 52, the cylinder 12 having been moved endwise in the cylinder 46, so as to put the stop 32 against the adjacent end 40 of the cylinder 34.

For counting nickels, the device 10 is reversed and the cylinder 34 is. slid endwise off the cylinder 12, with the pin 48 of the cylinder 12 engaged in the slot 46 of the cylinder 34, and the recesses 42 and 58 are interengaged, so that the end 30- of the cylinder 12 constitutes the bottom of the chamber 36 of the cylinder 34, accommodating forty nickels, as shown in FIGURE 5.

It will be understood from the foregoing that predetermined stacks of coins can be accurately counted, even while blind-folded, and with minimal attention to the operation, simply by stacking coins in the proper chamber until the stack is flush with the open end of the chamber, and that less than a full stack of coins can be readily counted through the sight openings 22 and the slot 46.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A coin counter comprising an inner tubular cylinder, a partition wall intermediate the ends of and dividing said cylinder into first and second chambers having open ends, said chambers being of diifering diameters and depths, a first outer tubular cylinder circuinposed about said inner cylinder and connected to said inner cylinder for sliding movement relative thereto, said first outer cylinder having a single chamber opening to its ends and differing in diameter from said first and second chambers, and a second outer tubular cylinder having a single chamber ditfering in diameter from the other chambers and slidably engaged on said inner cylinder, said first and second outer cylinders being interengaged at adjacent ends thereof so as to define a chamber of pre-determined length in said second outer cylinder.

2. A coin counter comprising an inner tubular cylinder, a partition wall intermediate the ends of and dividing said cylinder into first and second chambers having open ends, said chambers being of difiering diameters and depths, a first outer tubular cylinder slidably engaged on said inner cylinder, said first outer cylinder having a single chamber opening to its ends and differing in diameter from said first and second chambers, said first outer cylinder having a longitudinal slot in its sidewall opening to its ends, said inner cylinder having a radial pin on its sidewall adjacent one end thereof slidable in said slot,

and a second outer tubular-cylinder having a single chamber differing in diameter from the other chamber and being slidably engaged on said inner cylinder, said first and second outer cylinders being interengaged at adjacent ends thereof so as to define a chamber of predetermined length in said second outer cylinder.

3. A coin counter comprising an inner tubular cylinder, a partition wall intermediate the ends of and dividing said cylinder into first and second chambers having open ends, said chambers being of differing dameters and depths, a first outer tubular cylinder slidably engaged on said inner cylinder, said first outer cylinder having a single chamber opening to its ends and differing in diameter from said first and second chambers, said first outer cylinder having a longitudinal slot in its sidewall opening to its ends, said inner cylinder having a radial pin on its sidewall adjacent one end thereof sliding in said slot, said inner cylinder having an external stop shoulder on the end thereof remote from said pin, a second outer tubular cylinder having a single chamber differing in diameter from the other chambers and receiving said external stop shoulder, said first and second outer cylinders having external and internal annular recesses, respectively, at adjacent ends thereof, said recesses being interengaged and said external stop shoulder being engageable with the adjacent end of the first outer cylinder so as to define a chamber of predetermined length in said second outer cylinder.

4. A coin counter comprising an inner tubular cylinder, a partition wall intermediate the ends of and dividing said cylinder into first and second chambers having open ends, said chambers being of differing diameters and depths, a first outer tubular cylinder slidably engaged on said inner cylinder, said first outer cylinder having a single chamber opening to its ends and differing in diameter from said first and second chambers, said first outer cylinder having a longitudinal slot in its sidewall opening to its ends, said inner cylinder having a radial pin on its sidewall adjacent one end thereof sliding in said slot, said inner cylinder having an external stop shoulder on the end thereof remote from said pin, a second outer tubular cylinder having a single chamber differing in diameter from the other chambers and receiving said external stop shoulder, said first and second outer cylinders having external and internal annular recesses, respectively, at adjacent ends thereof, said recesses being interengaged and said external stop shoulder being engageable with the adjacent end of the first outer cylinder so as to define a chamber of predetermined length in said second outer cylinder, said first and second outer cylinders being removable endwise from the inner cylinder and engageable on the inner cylinder in reversed positions, with said recesses interengaged and with said pin engaged with an end of said second outer cylinder so as to define a recess of predetermined length in said first outer cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 367,661 Porterfield Aug. 2, 1887 565,903 Jones Aug. 18, 1896 1,189,972 Knight July 4, 1916 1,407,140 Friesen Feb. 21, 1922 2,158,704 Ligon May 16, 1939 2,436,646 Henne Feb. 24, 1948 2,444,804 Carruthers July 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 349,421 France Mar. 24, 1905 587,356 Great Britain Apr. 23, 1947 645,462 Great Britain Nov. 1, 1950 

1. A COIN COUNTER COMPRISING AN INNER TUBULAR CYLINDER, A PARTITION WALL INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF AND DIVIDING SAID CYLINDER INTO FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS HAVING OPEN ENDS, SAID CHAMBERS BEING OF DIFFERING DIAMETERS AND DEPTS, A FIRST OUTER TUBULAR CYLINDER CIRCUMPOSED ABOUT SAID INNER CYLINDER AND CONNECTED TO SAID INNER CYLINDER FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, SAID FIRST OUTER CYLINDER HAVING A SINGLE CHAMBER OPENING TO ITS ENDS AND DIFFERING IN DIAMETER FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS, AND A SECOND OUTER TUBULAR CYLINDER HAVING A SINGLE CHAMBER DIFFERING IN DIAMETER FROM THE OTHER CHAMBERS AND SLIDABLY ENGAGED ON SAID INNER CYLINDER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND OUTER CYLINDERS BEING INTERENGAGED AT ADJACENT ENDS THEREOF SO AS TO DEFINE A CHAMBER OF PRE-DETERMINED LENGTH IN SAID SECOND OUTER CYLINDER. 